| 1. |
tennessee titans
the titans can play the underdog card all they like, but after beating the steelers, they are the favorite to win the afc championship game. (pk)
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| 2. |
new york giants
the giants ended their losing skid with a thrilling overtime win over the panthers. the road to tampa goes through east rutherford, n.j. (mm)
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| 3. |
carolina panthers
the loss to the giants cost the panthers a shot at home-field advantage and exposed flaws in their run defense. but the panthers still are among the best in the nfc. a no. 2 playoff seed might set up a big rematch in the meadowlands. (py)
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| 4. |
pttsburg steelers
a 17-point loss to the titans showed there is still room for improvement. (jw)
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| 5. |
indianapolis colts
the colts are waiting to see whether they're going to denver or san diego on wild-card weekend. (pk)
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| 6. |
baltimore ravens
if the ravens reach the postseason, several teams will hope to avoid this physical group. (jw)
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| 7. |
atlanta falcons
the big victory over minnesota gives the falcons momentum. they still have a shot at the nfc south title. how many teams are more dangerous than the falcons heading into the playoffs? (py)
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| 8. |
new england patriots
no afc east team is playing better, but the pats still might not make the playoffs. (tg)
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| 9. |
miami dolphins
all they have to do is beat the jets to make the playoffs. (tg)
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| 10. |
dallas cowboys
this might be the luckiest team in the league. let's see whether the cowboys can capitalize on their good fortune. (mm)
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